Thoughts, reflections, views and news from the Chief Executive

I’m delighted to provide a further update on recruitment and confirm that Eleanor Sheppard has been appointed to the role of Chief Education Officer. Eleanor will take up her new role on 1 September 2018.

Together with Graeme Simpson, in his role as Chief Officer of Integrated Children’s and Family Services, this post will be key in delivering on behalf of Aberdeen’s young people. Eleanor has demonstrated the knowledge, skills and energy she will bring to the role.

Recruitment for the post of Chief Officer for Organisational Development is ongoing and I will provide an update at the earliest opportunity.

The start of the new school year and the end of the Council’s summer recess always feels like the official end of the holiday period – and the start of the next wave of exciting projects.

As we all look forward to what’s ahead, a warm welcome back to those of you who are settling back in after leave and a huge thanks to the efforts of everyone over the past few months for maintaining our services over the summer. There’s never a quiet period in the life of a busy city council and summer is no exception.

It has been particularly hectic for staff in the Children’s and Integrated Services function as the final preparations for the opening of Lochside Academy and Stoneywood School were made.

Both schools showcase the very best in modern education and an enormous amount of commitment, innovation and sheer effort has gone in to realising the vision for these sites.

23/08/18 First day at new Lochside Academy-

28/06/18 New £13m Stoneywood School-

13/081/8 Lochside Academy. New Headteacher of Lochside Academy NEIL HENDRY gave a tour of the new building to Councillor Jenny Laing, Councillor John Wheeler and Councillor Douglas Lumsden

Of course, the head teachers and staff at both will be quick to point out that the hard work will keep on flowing as the buildings spring to life with the start of the new term.

Congratulations to all involved in the projects and the very best wishes to the pupils and staff as they embrace a new era.

In the Town House, the focus is on the next committee cycle and a packed diary of meetings for the weeks ahead is in place.

Another productive period is in store and I’ll continue to bring regular updates on projects, achievements and Council news through my blog.

It’s great to see the Council staff who have signed up for the Simplyhealth Great Aberdeen Run in the spotlight – can I pass on my thanks to all who will be lining up for the half marathon and 10k races.

Everyone’s motivation is different. I know we’ve got some serious athletes in our midst who will relish the competition, others are embracing the wellbeing benefits of getting active and many are taking on charity fundraising challenges. Hats off to all who are giving it a go.

The run showed last year that it brings together people from far and near, whether international visitors sampling Aberdeen for the first time or residents and staff alike who come together on what promises to once again be a great day out.

Good luck to our ACC runners and the thousands who will be testing themselves on the courses on August 26.

Staying with a sporting theme, congratulations to Bon Accord Bowling Association on reaching the final of the Andrew Hamilton Trophy in Ayr.

Andrew Hamilton became only the second Secretary of the Scottish Bowling Association, in 1895, and the trophy has become one of the most sought after in the game.

The team, already crowned the North Section winners, lost narrowly to West Lothian Bowling Association in a hard-fought match. The squad, which has strong representation from Aberdeen City Council, has had a fantastic season – well done to all involved.

Colleagues in the library service and throughout the Council have paid tribute to Elaine Smith, who passed away last week after a short illness.

On behalf of Aberdeen City Council I extend my condolences to Elaine’s husband Norman and children Martyn, Darren, Keiran and Lisa.

She will be greatly missed by all she worked with and all those who knew Elaine, who first joined Aberdeen City Libraries in 1978.

Her career included a number of key projects and roles, including working for a number of years on the very first stage of the automation of library catalogue records. In the 1990s Elaine served at Kincorth and Kaimhill branch libraries before returning to Central Library in 2002, promoted in 2009 to the post of Senior Library Assistant in the Media Centre.

Elaine, who celebrated her 60th birthday in May, was active in a number of working groups which included the library Facebook team, Training in New Technologies (TNT) and the group set-up to plan the successful 125th anniversary for Central Library last year. Outside of work her hobbies included photography and family history, with her own family always the number one priority.

The news of Elaine’s passing has I know been felt deeply amongst colleagues, who speak of a valued friend and a dedicated professional who was knowledgeable, skilled and committed. It is a terribly sad time and my sympathies go to all those affected.

Embracing the opportunities presented by technology is at the heart of our plans for the council of the future and as we build towards that vision there will be lots of different examples of the Council’s digital transformation.

Last week I gave an overview of the Being Digital approach and through my blog I will aim to keep you updated as the many projects that are underway move forward.

One of those that will have a positive impact for all employees revolves around the replacement of our main HR and payroll system, known as PSe.

The current system is due to be retired by the supplier in 18-months and we have an in house project team working to finalise a new solution, taking the opportunity to consider how we can better use technology to manage our information and improve our processes by reducing unnecessary steps.

This project will affect all of us in some way – whether that be simply changing the look of our payslip, allowing more of us the opportunity to self-serve or providing managers with more tools to better support their team.

The system that is being implemented is called CoreHR and you can review in greater detail what this will offer in this video.

The CoreHR system will go beyond simply replacing the current system and replicating what we do now. It will provide increased functionality that will improve our self-service capability allowing us to build upon what is currently done well within YourHR and ultimately replace both YourHR and Open Options.

The replacement of these systems will be done in a phased approach with the functionality of the various systems being gradually shut down as it is moved into CoreHR.

Phase one of the project is focussed on the foundation elements of the system; ensuring that our HR records (including annual leave) are in place and enabling us all to be paid from the new system in October. This initial phase will also bring more self-service opportunities for us all and an improved experience for new employees.

The second and third phases of the project will bring improvements in how we approach recruitment by streamlining the process and reducing the time to recruit, expenses will be processed in a self-service way and health and safety will also allow more of us the opportunity to record any health and safety issues ourselves.

One of the major benefits that CoreHR will bring will be talent management functionality, replicating aspects of the existing PR&D process but providing a full and complete view of all our employees and their development needs. Ensuring we have the correct skills, behaviours and attitudes is critical to ensuring we achieve the aims of the Target Operating Model and it is vital that we are all provided with the opportunity to develop our skills and progress within the Council.

The existing Employee Benefits and Occupational Health Assist portals as well as the online learning platform (OIL) will be maintained. Details of how training will be provided and what opportunities there will be for remote employees to begin to self-serve will be provided directly by the team as part of the project communication.

There will be more information on the roll-out of CoreHR in the months ahead, but I’m pleased to be able to provide an introduction at this stage and to thank you in advance for your support in embracing new systems and new ways of working.

The way we embrace the possibilities presented by digital technology will be central to the successful transformation of the Council.

I’ve spoken often about the need to build the Council of the future and for all of us as employees to drive that change.

I’m conscious that what that means in practical terms is what matters most to every member of staff across every service and over the months ahead I will provide regular updates on different digital strands to provide some tangible examples of the positive strides we’re taking together.

Before focusing on individual projects in greater detail, I can provide an overview of the progress with the Being Digital strategy which brings all of this important work together.

Being Digital was first established late in 2016 and is designed to take a holistic approach to the Council’s technology challenges and opportunities.

The biggest challenge is the pace with which digital moves – and as such we accept that we can only plan so much. We have a ‘Deliberate Plan’ which encompasses the essentials that we know we must deliver, but equally important is the ‘Emergent Plan’ designed to enable us to be flexible and agile as we embrace new technologies as they appear.

Regardless of how the digital world evolves, the vital element for the Council is the fact the aim will not change – that is to help us to better meet the needs of residents and all those we serve in Aberdeen and to do so in a more efficient and effective way.

Because digital is all around us, we don’t always realise the change that we’re all part of.

This year, for example, we have seen the launch of the new Council website powered by a new Content Management System to provide the foundations for our online presence. An enormous amount of work has gone in to improving the web offering and that work continues.

The roll-out of Office 365 is more recent but just as significant. Access for staff is the first baby step – the real benefits will come as the huge possibilities of Office 365 are put to use by individuals, services and the Council as a whole. There are tools and applications that will change the way we work for the better and I’m eager to see that happen quickly.

Earlier this month the new ServiceNow portal was launched by colleagues in Digital and Technology, colleagues in People and Organisation are doing final testing of a new P&O Anytime online hub that will change the way we access information in that sphere and the programme for the new CoreHR system is gathering momentum as launch moves closer. I’ll focus more on CoreHR and what that means in a separate blog post soon.

In short, there’s lots of activity and the key message is that the Strategic Transformation Committee (STC) has been supportive of the Being Digital strategy, for example backing an enhanced Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system to add functionality in bookings, workflow and integration. The committee has also approved plans to continue to enhance the digital tools for reporting and to bring in a new solution for Master Data Management (MDM).

This is just scratching the surface of the possibilities for the Council – with great opportunities to free up staff time to focus on the most important aspects of service delivery, at the same time delivering important financial savings.

The Digital and Technology team, with support from our digital partner, will work with services to identify opportunities to implement the technology needed to digitise more of the Council’s services.

What we cannot lose sight of is the fact that technology is only advantageous if it is put to good use – and that’s where we all have a crucial role to play.

Training and digital skills development has been a focus for the STC and there is a commitment to ensure that is provided throughout the Council. I make no apologies for repeating the fact that people are our most valuable asset and we must invest in building knowledge and expertise to support the Being Digital ambitions.

A programme of support to get the best from Office 365 is being rolled out and there will be engagement with you and your team to ensure you have the coaching you need. I’m sure the skills and knowledge will build quickly.

I look forward to sharing more information as we continue on the journey – your support, ideas and innovation will be the key to success.

With the school holidays now in full swing, there’s no mistaking the feelgood factor the summer brings to the city.

On behalf of the leadership team, can I take the opportunity to wish all staff a good break if you have time booked off and to pass on my thanks to those working through the summer to cater for all those we serve.

We’re into peak season for so many of our teams, not least the grounds and parks staff who are catering for growing visitor numbers, and the events team which has had a flurry of activity with the success of the BP Big Screens evening at Duthie Park, the popular Armed Forces Day parade and now the build-up to the Great Aberdeen Run.

Of course, our services run 365 days a year and there’s never a lull in demand or activity, so July and August will continue to be hectic across the Council.

Best wishes to you for the summer, whatever the weeks ahead may bring.

It’s a pleasure to be able to share the many good news stories we have as a Council through my blog and this week I’m taking the opportunity to round-up the latest award wins and project completions.

With summer upon us there’s been a flurry of positive announcements and it gives a real flavour of the work being done in so many different areas of the business.

Just last week the completion of the second of two new schools was marked, with final preparations now being made at Stoneywood School to welcome the first intake of pupils in August. It came just after construction at Lochside Academy was completed and these represent two huge undertakings for the Council – not just financially, but also logistically.

I must express my thanks to the project managers Les Mackie (Stoneywood) and Sharon McNutt (Lochside) for their hard work and of course their fellow team members involved in bringing these projects to fruition. The hard work continues over the summer, with the fit out in full flow now the buildings have been handed over to the Council.

Staying on a construction theme, it is fantastic to see the development of 99 new Council houses at Smithfield now complete and tenants settling in. Again, it’s a project that has been driven by the hard work and energy of officers and it is rewarding for everyone involved to see the way in which it is changing lives in a positive way.

In the Resources function, great credit must go to the Finance team for an achievement that may have gone under the radar.

At the meeting of the Audit, Risk and Scrutiny Committee on June 26 the annual audited accounts were approved – a full three months earlier than the norm for a local authority and a target we have been working to as part of our commitments following the successful bond issue.

It is a truly phenomenal achievement given the scale and complexities associated with the finances of a large city authority.

This vital piece of work was led by finance but enabled by many people across all functions and it is a credit to the organisation as a whole that it has been achieved. The committee was generous in its praise of the accomplishment and I share that appreciation.

Innovation in local government finance was at the heart of the bond issue – and that innovation has continued since, with the accounting systems and processes we now have in place putting, in my view, Aberdeen City Council way ahead of the pack. We’re determined to lead from the front in everything we do.

Colleagues in Finance have rightly been recognised with various awards and that success is flowing through the Council.

In Integrated Children’s and Family Services, Hazel Lynch was named ICT Rising Star at the Holyrood Connect Awards in Edinburgh to round off the term in style.

Hazel was recognised for her work supporting accessibility across education to ensure our young people can access digital tools that are vital to their learning. The next generation hold the key to Aberdeen’s future success and as a Council we have to ensure pupils can embrace the opportunities that digital is opening up – it’s fantastic Hazel’s efforts have been acknowledged nationally.

On the same evening, Council staff Sean Cairney and Mathew Craig were also in the spotlight as finalists for the Gordon Archibald Medal presented at Trinity Hall. Although pipped at the post, it was a great achievement to make the shortlist. The award recognised an HNC built environment project and I know the standard of the submission was excellent.

To continue June’s run of good news, it was confirmed at the end of the month that Aberdeen has achieved the Sustainable Food Cities Award.

We are the first city in Scotland and one of only a handful in the UK to meet the strict criteria and it is a fantastic endorsement of the work of the Sustainable Food City Partnership Aberdeen to promote healthy, sustainable and local food and to tackle social challenges.

Aberdeen City Council is proud to be part of the partnership and I must thank all of the officers who have at the heart of this incredibly valuable initiative.

An awful lot to pack into one post, but all worth sharing. Congratulations and thank you once again to all staff who have played their part.